Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

I am honored to celebrate National Women's Month with Filipino women everywhere in the world.

This month, we respond to the call for Women Empowerment and remember why we should stand tall and stand strong as women.

We remember all the women heroes we have had in our nation's history and thank them for blazing the trail for women leaders.

As the second female to helm the Department of Budget and Management, I would also like to honor in a special way the first female Budget Secretary: the late Secretary Emilia Boncodin who introduced groundbreaking reforms on budget and procurement, and inculcated a culture of transparency in public financial management.

And I would also like to give a shout-out to my fellow women in the Cabinet: Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte; Tourism Secretary Maria Christina Frasco; Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga; Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople; and of course to our First Lady, Atty. Louise Araneta Marcos. You are prime examples of empowered women and you serve as an inspiration to women everywhere who are standing for equality. Your presence and leadership in the Marcos Jr. Administration is also a testament to the commitment of President BBM to inclusivity, and to making sure that the best leaders have a seat at the table, regardless of gender.

Truly, we are committed to the theme of the National Women’s Month celebration for 2023 to 2028: “WE for gender equality and inclusive society.” This is already embedded in the 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and the Philippine Development Plan. This is also reflected in the “Women’s Budget” or the Gender and Development (GAD) budget policy directing all government departments and agencies to allocate a minimum of five percent of their total annual budgets under the General Appropriations Act.

So this National Women’s Month, we renew our commitment to uplifting women, especially Filipino women, everywhere: the Lea Salongas, the Hidilyn Diaz’s, the Pia Wurtzbachs, the Paz Marquez-Benitez’s, the Santanina Rasuls, your mother, your daughter, your sisters, and girlfriends.

We all have the power to contribute to a genuinely inclusive society that values gender equality.

Mabuhay ang mga kababaihan!

Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

To Climate Change Commission Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje, Commissioner Rachel Anne S. Herrera, and Commissioner Albert P. Dela Cruz, Sr.; Commission on Higher Education Chairperson J. Prospero E. De Vera III; Governance Commission for GOCCs Commissioner Gideon D.V. Mortel; and Department of Environment and Natural Resources Director Elenida DR Basug;

And to all my fellow public servants from national government agencies, GOCCs, and state universities and colleges;

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Welcome to the Annual Climate Change Expenditure Tracking or CCET Virtual Orientation in support of our 8-point Socioeconomic Agenda and the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023 to 2028.

This January, we issued the National and Corporate Budget Calls and kick-started our budget preparation for FY 2024 with a series of budget forums. Indeed, this is a new opportunity for us to serve the people. But we are gathered here today not only for another round of budget preparations, but more importantly, to do our part in addressing a persisting threat to Filipino people’s lives, properties, and livelihood—climate change.

And so while we are on track with our Agenda for Prosperity, our efforts will be futile if we are unable to address climate change as it continues to pose significant risks to our economic development.

Thankfully, we have interventions such as CCET that allow us to monitor the scope and distribution of climate action in the country by identifying environment-related programs and projects within the national budget.

As stated in the World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Report for the Philippines published in November 2022, mainstreaming climate considerations in our public financial management is crucial in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

As such, our budget to address climate change will reach Php 464.5 billion this year, equivalent to 8.8 percent of the total national budget. This is significantly higher by 60.1 percent compared to last year’s allocation of Php 289.7 billion.

The government will also prioritize climate change mitigation and adaptation programs aligned with the National Climate Change Action Plan or NCCAP. Under NCCAP, water sufficiency projects are prioritized, cornering almost 80 percent of the total climate change budget. This is followed by sustainable energy, food security, ecosystem and environmental stability, climate smart industries and services, human security, and knowledge and capacity development.

We will also continue to prioritize programs that strengthen disaster resilience including the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) with Php 20.50 billion; Quick Response Fund with Php 17.15 billion; and Flood Management Program with Php 182.99 billion.

In order to preserve our natural resources, Php 2.39 billion was allocated for the National Greening Program; Php 1.86 billion for the Protected Areas Development and Management Program; Php 1.56 billion for the Manila Bay Rehabilitation; and Php 246 million for the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Program.

As we kick-off this crucial undertaking for the FY 2024 National Budget, let us intensify climate change planning and programming, and increase the convergence and implementation of climate change and disaster risk reduction programs, activities, and projects through the NCCAP and the Risk Resiliency Program.

We are glad that you are all here today so that we at the DBM and the Climate Change Commission, with support from oversight agencies namely DENR, GCG, and CHED, can provide you with updated information and better understanding of climate change and CCET as an integral part of our national budget preparation.

As stated in the World Bank Report, responding to the challenge of climate change is well within our country’s capacity. In fact, in the President's Budget Message, it is clearly stated that "our economic transformation includes a transformation to a greener economy."

So I call on all our planning and budget officers and climate change technical representatives to work together and do everything in your capacity to efficiently and effectively execute climate change expenditure tracking. Through our concerted efforts to achieve a greener economy, we can give Filipinos a fighting chance to manage life’s uncertainties in the midst of climate change.

As you discuss the top climate risks and priorities, and linkages of the PDP 2023 to 2028, as well as the technicalities of entering CCET to the Online Budget Submission Portal or OBSP, may we keep in mind that we are doing all these to ensure that our economic progress is moving towards a truly inclusive and sustainable economy—one that will be felt by every individual, family, and entity in the country, and one that will benefit not only citizens in the world today but also in the generations to come.

Thank you very much. Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

END

Mayor Angelo Emilio G. Aguinaldo; sa mga bumubuo ng Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas na pinangungunahan ni Dr. Emmanuel F. Calairo; at sa lahat po ng naririto, isang mapagpalaya at pinagpalang gabi po.

Bago po ang lahat, maraming salamat po sa inyong pag-anyaya sa akin upang magbigay ng pambungad na mensahe sa isandaang araw na paglulunsad ng ika-isang daan at dalawampu’t limang (125) Anibersaryo ng Kalayaan at Pagkabansang Pilipino 2023-2026.

Higit pang nakagagalak ang anibersaryong ito dahil sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay hindi lamang isa, kundi tatlong taon ang ating selebrasyon—mula 2023 hanggang 2026—at sa pamumuno ni Dr. Emmanuel F. Calairo ay ilulunsad ang mga panandang pangkasaysayan sa iba’t ibang bayan sa buong Pilipinas.

Bilang natatanging miyembro ng gabinete na Muslim, ako po ay lubusang nagagalak sa aking pagdalo dito dahil—kung hindi po ako nagkakamali—ito ang kauna-unahang pagkakataon na isang Maranao ang magsasalita sa okasyon ng pagdiriwang ng anibersaryo ng ating kalayaan.

Dito sa Kawit unang iwinagayway ang ating bandila, ngunit maipagmamalaki naman naming mga taga-timog na masigasig at magiting na ipinaglaban ng mga taga-Mindanao ang ating lupang sinilangan.

Samakatuwid, mahigit tatlong daang taon ang pagsakop ng mga Kastila sa Luzon at Visayas, ngunit hindi nasakop ng mga banyaga ang Mindanao. Dahil matinding ipinaglaban ng mga Moro ang ating lupa, pati na din ang ating kultura, patakaran, at paniniwala ng mga taga-Mindanao.

Kaya malayo man kami sa Kawit, kasali po kami sa pagpapasalamat para sa kasarinlan ng Pilipinas at sa pagmamalaki ng katanyagan ng ating lupang sinilangan.

Tunay naman na dapat ipagmalaki at ipagdiwang na isang daan at dalawampu’t limang taon na ang nakalipas, subalit ang araw at mga bituin ng ating bandila—na unang iwinagayway dito sa Cavite at bumuhay sa alab ng puso ng mga Pilipino—ay higit pa ring nagniningning sa bawat sulok ng ating mahal na Pilipinas—sa Luzon, Visayas, at sa Mindanao.

Nakatataba nga naman ng puso na kahit nagmumula tayo sa iba’t ibang rehiyon ng bansa, iisa pa rin ang pintig ng ating damdamin—ang pagmamahal natin para sa ating inang bayan.

Kaya naman pagkakaisa—o unity—ang panawagan ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Dahil ang paglayang minamahal ay hindi naman para sa iilan lamang, kundi para sa lahat.

At iyan ang layunin ng ating Agenda for Prosperity o ang ating patakaran tungo sa kasaganahan. Lahat ng ginagawa ng pamahalaan ngayon ay para sa kasaganahan ng sambayanang Pilipino: Economic Transformation Towards Inclusivity and Sustainability o ang pagpapalaganap ng ating ekonomiya para sa lahat, kasama na din ang mga susunod na henerasyon.

Sinisikap po ng kasalukuyang administrasyon na maiangat ang buhay ng bawat mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng economic growth. At unti-unti ay nakakamit na po natin ito. Noong nakaraang taon, ang ating Gross Domestic Product o ang tinatawag na GDP ay lumago ng 7.6 percent, higit pa po ito sa mga estima ng pinakamagaling na mga ekonomista hindi lamang sa Pilipinas, kundi sa buong mundo.

At upang maramdaman naman po ng lahat ang kasaganahan, sinisikap din po namin na maiparating ang mga proyekto ng ating gobyerno, hindi lamang sa Metro Manila, kundi mula Aparri hanggang sa Tawi-Tawi.

Kaya din naman pati ang Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao o BARMM ay hindi nakakaligtaan at nabigyan na ng Block Grant na mahigit sa Php 66 billion.

Tutulungan din po natin ang bawat lokal na pamahalaan na maging empowered sa pamamagitan ng devolution, alinsunod sa Executive Order No. 138 at sa Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court ruling.

At sisikapin naman po natin na magkaroon ng tinatawag na bureaucratic efficiency o mabilis na pag-aksyon ng pamahalaan, pati na din ang pagkakaroon ng transparency at accountability sa pamamagitan ng digitalization. Mayroon po tayong Digital Transformation Roadmap na susundin upang maging mas mabilis at mas tapat ang mga sistema ng buong gobyerno.

Para makilala at matandaan naman po ng mga susunod na henerasyon ang kahalagahan ng mga okasyong katulad nito ngayon, naglaan na po tayo ng higit sa tatlong daan at apatnapu't apat na milyong piso (Php 344.63 million) para sa Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas o National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Sa ilalim po nito, mahigit limampu’t pitong milyong piso (Php 57.01 million) ang nakalaan para sa kanilang Historical Commemoration and Promotion Program.

Napakarami pa po nating mga proyekto at patakaran para sa tinatawag nating Agenda for Prosperity. Ngunit hindi natin ito makakamit kung ang gobyerno lamang ang gagalaw. Kailangan po natin ang kooperasyon ng bawat mamamayan.

Kaya nais ko pong imbitahan kayong lahat na patuloy na isa-puso ang mga aral ng ating nakaraan dahil ito po ang tanging paraan sa ating pag-usad bilang isang bayan.

Huwag po nating kalimutan na ang kalayaang tinatamasa natin ngayon sa kasalukuyan ay bunga ng kagitingan at pag-aalay ng sarili para sa bayan ng ating mga ninuno.

Kaya sama-sama po nating isakatuparan ang ating hangarin para sa mas maganda, masagana, at mapayapang kinabukasan ng ating mga kababayan at ng mga susunod pang mga henerasyon…

…upang makita din po ng mga Pilipino dito sa Pilipinas at sa pinakamalayong dako ng ating archipelago, at pati na rin sa iba't ibang dako ng mundo, ang kislap ng ating watawat, ang tagumpay na nagniningning.

Mabuhay po kayo! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas at mga Pilipino!

Assalamu alaikum. Maraming salamat po.

Minister Mohagher Iqbal, members of the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB), ladies and gentlemen, Assalamu alaikum.

For this 13th Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) Meeting, we hope to have the same successful discussions as the previous ones where we made key decisions to ensure the delivery of quality public service to our citizens in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

As always, I am honored to co-chair with Minister Iqbal and have our esteemed executives from the National and Bangsamoro governments in full force to strengthen our efforts in setting the path for BARMM’s continuous development in social, economic, and cultural aspects.

Looking back, I am happy to note that we had a successful Inaugural Meeting of the IGRB in October and a fruitful engagement with legislative counterparts at the Inaugural Meeting of the Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum (PCBPF). Just recently, the Senate members of the PCBPF were named: Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda as chairperson, and Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito, Francis Tolentino, Robinhood Padilla, and Aquilino Pimentel III as members. On the other hand, their counterparts in the House of Representatives will be determined next week.

Last December, the IGRB held its 12th meeting—and its first under the Marcos Jr. Administration—to discuss the mechanisms in ensuring that BARMM will be integrated into the country’s national development agenda. This was followed by the Intergovernmental Fiscal Policy Board (IFPB) meeting co-chaired by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno and BARMM Minister for Finance, Budget and Management Atty. Ubaida Pacasem. The IFPB discussed among others, the digitalization of BARMM’s tax system, and committed to ensure that BARMM’s financial needs are met.

These were just the start of a harmonious working relationship that has already resulted in many accomplishments.

In the past six months, the various technical working groups (TWGs) have started discussions regarding their respective agenda. Among the resolved issues are the conduct of the annual Hajj and Umrah and the very recent positive directive of the National Government regarding the nationwide recognition of Bangsamoro Land Transportation Office (BLTO) driver’s licenses and registration renewals.

And true to our vision of a BARMM that is thriving and a Mindanao that shines as a land of promise, we now have the Oversight Committee on Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act, pursuant to R. A. No. 11696. The Committee is composed of members from the House of Representatives namely, Cong. Yasser Balindong, Munir Arbison Jr., Sittie Aminah Dimaporo, Mujiv Hataman, and Paul Daza; and the Senate chaired by Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, with Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Robinhood Padilla, Aquilino Pimentel III, and Risa Hontiveros as members. As you may know, the rehabilitation and recovery of Marawi City is a project that is close to my heart as a fellow Maranaoan.

When it comes to the transfer of properties from the National government to the Bangsamoro government, various agencies have already given updates and committed their respective timelines. In fact, just this week, we received news about the Ceremonial Turnover of the LTO Maguindanao and Marawi City District Offices to BARMM.

Last week, we also joined the Consultation on BARMM Digital Transformation of Government-Public Financial Transactions and expressed our full support for their digitalization initiatives. As I have emphasized, collaborating with BARMM in their digital transformation journey is our way of helping in their mission to uplift the lives of the Bangsamoro.

With these achievements in only six-months time, I know that we will soon see a more united Philippines where no Filipino is left behind, not even those in the farthest areas of BARMM.

There is still much work to do ahead. But I hope that with these achievements in just a few months time, we are all inspired to continue working hard towards our Agenda for Prosperity in BARMM.

Now, let me take this opportunity to thank the Bangsamoro Parliament for the time, effort, and dedication that you have been giving in our collaborations. Together, we will harness nation-building with integrity and care for our people.

Today, we are all set to create new paths. As we widen our horizons—for BARMM, Mindanao, and the country—I pray that our meetings and discussions will continue to result in decisions that will help make peace and prosperity a reality for all of our people.

Maraming salamat po.

Mabuhay ang BARMM! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas at mga Pilipino!

Assalamu alaikum.